Malin, meaning clever or sly, is certainly derogatory, but also carries with it a wariness and respect for the wiles that Shoba, Mahesh, and Salim perceive in African people. Namely, they see them as people “living with knowledge of men as prey,” making them, in their eyes, dangerous and unpredictable. This animalistic evocation once again presents the duality of city and bush present in the nature of “true Africa” as it manifests throughout the novel. While denigrating them comforts Salim, Shoba, and Mahesh, it really just expresses their fear of the intelligence and capability of the African people they find themselves surrounded by.